Stardust
by Ryouko Akizakura
Summary: Akiza finds herself under Sayer's control, and lashes out, though it may cost a treasured friend their life. Can she move on? YuseiXAki. If there are song lyrics in there, I don't own them.


I do not own Yugi Oh 5D's or Three Days Grace, or even Cascada. Much as I wish I did, I solemly do not. Anyway, YuseiXAki Fanfic. (I used English names this time. Drat!)

* * *

I looked over my shoulder, the wind strong, and my heart beating in quick, flighty pulses. His memory faded from my eyes, the ethereal shadow of his presence twining itself around me, my arm beating out crimson light in rhythmic flashes as evidence of my pain at losing his spiritual embrace. He doesn't turn back, black spiky hair dancing in the wind, and I imagine his bangs blowing in his eyes, and his navy eyes glowing in the waning moonlight, his smile gracing my eyes gently. I imagine myself falling into him, the warmth of his chest against my face, the beating of his heart sounding in my ear. I turn around, and hold a hand out toward him, tears on the edge of my eyes ready to spill over. He doesn't turn to face me. The wind blew, and the edge of his jacket grazed my bare thighs, and my hand rested on his shoulder blade, this muscle smooth under my palm. He still didn't turn around to face me. I walked over to his face, so I could look him in the eyes.

"Yusei……" I breathed my voice weak and soft, my honey brown eyes downcast. I refused to meet his eyes. His eyes glowed in the silver moonlight, while my brown ones looked dull in comparison. I watched his jaw lock, and his eyes narrow. Pain burned in his eyes, and I stood helpless in his gaze.

"Akiza. " He murmured, turning away again. I stood there, like an idiot, not knowing what to do with him. He's in pain, yet his mark isn't glowing to soothe him, I thought. I knew that I couldn't seal the darkness in his heart away, but I could shine the light of friendship on it. He held me close, and I started to cry. I didn't know why, but the tears kept falling. The sky darkened over us, and the shape of a purple spider appeared in the sky, Roman's mark.

"Be safe. Please." I whispered softly.

"Look at me." I opened my eyes, and stared up at him obediently.

"Don't worry." I nodded. Luna looked at him, affection in her eyes. He turned and walked away, his bangs blowing in his eyes. I let him go, and then I got an idea.

"I'm coming with you." I announced, securing my duel disk to my left arm. He turned around, and nodded. I followed him as we ran toward where the duel would take place. He stood there, ready to fight Roman, one of our many enemies, the ones who beat him down, and had him put into a hospital bed. I looked at him carefully, and what I saw surprised me. Renewed strength, sacrifice, intelligence, determination, and his never weakening stubbornness. He stood across from Roman, his cards drawn, his face so open and vulnerable, and his eyes blazing with staggering fear. I took one step back, as my mark pulsed, red rings of crimson sparkles pulsing off of my arm. I held it up, the glittering pieces of maroon fire blowing into my hair. He summoned a monster, but I wasn't paying attention to that. My eyes were glued to Yusei's still tensed form. I could feel his fear pulsing through me, as my mark pulsed glowing crimson rings, in synch to my pounding heartbeat. They exchange attacks readily, always thinking ahead of each other, bouncing damage off each other, like they are eternal rivals. An image of Misty's angry face popped into my head, and I thought about what she had said to me, and how scared I was of saving the world. Yusei nearly got sent to the Netherworld and here he is, fighting to protect us from the very evil his own father burdened Yusei with defeating, I thought breathlessly as Yusei deflected another one of Roman's attacks. I lifted up my arm, the red glow encircling me, and Yusei turned, and closed his eyes, and I felt strength flow through him, my gift, my sacrifice, my love, my soul, my heart. Though it wasn't much, I knew it would help him take the last steps toward winning the duel. He ordered his Stardust Dragon to attack, and he won the duel. I ran over to him, my mark still pulsing. The Dark Signers appeared over the rise, and we faced them, Yusei's strength falling over me, wrapping me up in glowing cobalt ribbons of light, like a oceanic blanket, or an ethereal shroud of shimmering blue. My heart beat out his pulse rate, our hearts now bound by black rose petals frosted by glittering stardust. I drew strength from him, and he got strength from his friends, where his heart truly lies. I smiled at him, and he smiled at me, then we turned back to the Dark Signers, having unfinished business to attend to. Misty gave me the death glare, and I felt my irises widen, and my heart started beating out the lyrics of "What I've Done" by Lincoln Park. _So let mercy come, and wash away what I've done… _My amber eyes were trapped in Misty's mint green/ onyx black eyes; I had no escape from their unbreakable grasp.

"Akiza, I will get revenge for my little brother's death." Misty mouthed to me, I could almost hear her voice whispering across my face for a minute, and I froze up. Yusei narrowed his eyes at Kalin, and Kalin smiled evilly, in his yellow eyes was a hunger for pain, revenge, and violence that I didn't even want to think about. Yusei's eyes glowed with an innocence I didn't know he had in him. I knew he had fire and a light that was brighter than the sun and the celestial bodies in our solar system, but I didn't know he had the innocence of a boy in him. I always thought he was more mature than the rest of us, but I felt my eyes widen a couple of inches. Lyrics of songs flowed through my head, and I fell into oblivion, words swirling in the air around me, trapping me in an endless nightmare. Black Rose Dragon treaded the air in front of me, purple flames gathering at her mouth, and I hung in the air on my back, but propped up a little by the weird gravity. Black Rose Dragon glowed bright pink, then fired her flames, them hitting me square in the chest, and I screamed a little, bending backward the pain leaving me speechless. Fire sang through my veins, and the Crimson Dragon danced across my line of vision as Black Rose Dragon took on the shape of the Crimson Dragon, the pain getting worse. The fire continued to stream into my chest, and I felt as though I was burning. Then a flash of cobalt light blinded my brown eyes, and narrowed my eyes, straining to see what caused the light. It was a figure, tall, strong, and his back to me. I stood up, and walked toward him, the outline very clear. I took several steps closer, and he turned around to face me, rose petals blowing around me. Yusei. This is my heart space, I thought, looking around to see a field of black roses at my feet. Yusei, smiled at me, the wind gently blowing his black bangs into his shining blue eyes, and my heart leaped, the field pulsed bright fuchsia. My inner voice sang, the beautiful sound echoing across the ethereal meadow; _A never ending dream, a dream of you, I believe I received a sign of you, tonight I wanna hide my feelings too, as you do and I wanna be with you. A never ending dream, a dream of you, I believe I received a sign of you, tonight I wanna hide my feelings too, as you do and I wanna be with you …._ Yusei and I stood across from each other as those lyrics faded and rose with every one of my fluttering heartbeats. Yusei's hair rippled in the gentle wind, and my bangs blew behind my shoulders, a perfect fantasy. Then all too soon, it ended. I crashed back to myself, and we all walked back to Martha's house. I sat down all alone, time to think. Yusei sat down next to me, and I got up at Dr. Schmitt's call, and I helped make dinner for us all. It was done in five minutes, and I headed back to the table, surprised to not see Yusei there. Jack looked out the door. I nodded to him, and headed out the door. I saw Yusei standing in a rose garden, the wind blowing his hair in the breeze, just like my dream. I stepped toward him carefully, and he turned slowly, his eyes warm and open. I stepped into his arms, and my mark pulsed, taking us to my heart space, the rose meadow's petals blowing across our faces, as we kissed each other, and held, believed, fused. Our marks pulsed, and the pink waterfall threw its spray over us, and I watched a lone pink water droplet land on Yusei's cheek.

"Sorry for the rain, I'm probably crying in real life." I muttered. He laughed quietly, and pressed his lips to my jawbone.

"It's okay; I'm not really getting wet right?" I nodded. He was right.

"We are spiritually in my heart space, or my heart's plane. You are probably still holding me up in real life." I answered. He hugged me harder, and I held him close, breathing in his strength, his love. I knew I wasn't alone; he was just as scared as I was.

"Now I am unbreakable." I murmured against his beating heart, my voice breaking.

"You always were, Akiza." He replied, gesturing to my heart. I nodded. Once again he was right. I transported us back, and we both wobbled, him holding me up, and I exhaled. He rested his cheek against my hair, the rose petals from the garden blowing across us. Like it or not, I had to fight tomorrow, and I didn't know whether I would see Yusei again, and that scared me. He kissed my forehead as if he felt my fear, and I straightened up. We went back to the table, and prepared to enjoy what could be our last night together. I sat down next to him, between Luna and him.

"Looks like Akiza and Yusei were getting cozy." Trudge pointed out, mockingly lifting his head in Yusei's direction. Yusei turned toward him, obviously going to set the records straight. He opened his mouth to protest, but, the fire faded from his eyes. _He must still be scared._ I reached out, my hand shaking gently, and rubbed his cheek. He turned his head toward me, and I caught my breath at the scared look in his eyes. They gripped me, in their sapphire irises with an unrelenting ferocity. In an instant, I was teleported back to that black space, looking at the being who wished to hurt me the most. Misty stood opposite me, Cocaryhua behind her, his fist raised. I saw the malignant look in her eyes, and I tensed up. Blue light pulsed above me, soothing and strong, just like Yusei's touch. I reached toward it, and just when I embraced it, I came back to myself, Yusei looking at me. My hand was still on his cheek, but his left hand was over it. _That must have been the light that gave me strength._ I dropped it, and turned back to my soup. The others continued to stare, their eyes beady and probing.

****

The rest of the night had passed without consequence, us all waking up the next morning to go our separate ways. I stood in front of Yusei, the wind blowing my red bangs to my left, the strands gently brushing against the grimace that was my mouth. He planted his feet next to his runner, his blue eyes hard, and decided. I glared at him, putting on a show of bravery, for the others, for me, for him. My heart pounded, each beat slamming against my ribcage painfully. I kept it up, even though one tear slid down the right side of my face. His eyes widened for a split second, surprise flashing in his eyes, and then he seemed to get it under control. I lifted my right foot, about to go to him, but he shook his head once. I relaxed, hurt shining in my eyes.

"I don't want to…Give you a reason to worry about me." He whispered, his voice riding the wind across my face. His eyes zeroed in on the stubborn tear that still lingered on my cheek.

"Though…It looks like I already have." He looked me full in the face, his mark pulsing once, the ring washing over me. My mark glowed in response, ruby sparked crimson rings pulsing over the area around us.

"What if…I never see you again?" I asked, my voice soft. He dipped his head.

"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself instead. I'll do everything I can in order to come back to you, Akiza." He replied, closing his eyes. I nodded.

"But if you hold me, I am strong." I murmured, closing my eyes. His eyes shot open, and his head bolted up.

"Akiza…" Was his reply. _Now what do I do? Do I just give up my heart, and let him rip it out of me?_ These questions surged through my head, thundering down my veins, racing my blood to an endless destination. I looked down, tears falling on my clenched hands. Brown shoes appeared in my blurry path of vision, and I felt arms slid under my elbows, and pull me closer. I let my head fall on his chest, just enjoying the feeling of safety, security, strength.

"Yes…Now I know what I really am." I breathed against his fluttering heart. He leaned his head on mine, and exhaled.

"Who..You really are?" He repeated, his voice full of confusion. I smiled evilly.

"An arrogant witch who only uses people for her own gain. By giving me strength, you gave me the power to bend my psychic abilities to my will." I replied smoothly, Yusei pulling away. His expression was unreadable.

"I thought I had saved you…From your darkness." He answered, dazed. I looked down.

"The Akiza you know, is sleeping. She was taken over by the evil Akiza, the Black Rose." I replied, and turned away from him. His hands lingered on my waist, as I walked slowly from the safety of his arms. _I have to do this. For my friend. Yusei._

****

I found myself in front of the Lizard tower, Misty standing across from me. I felt like my whole world was going to crash down in pieces. I was acutely aware of the fact that Yusei was not beside me, and that scared me a bit. I looked to the left, fooling myself into thinking that he was beside me. Misty sneered.

"Your precious Yusei isn't here to save you." Misty smirked coldly. I gasped, knowing she had me trapped. _Yusei, give me strength. _I put my hand on the top of my deck, hoping to draw a card to bring Black Rose Dragon back from the graveyard. I drew, imagining Yusei beside me. _I have to look at it._ I turned my head, and squinted at the card's face. Shining Reverse. _Yes!_

"I activate Dark Verger's special ability from the graveyard. Whenever I have a plant type tuner monster on my field, I can summon this card from the grave. " My Dark Verger sprouted from the ground, and I held my Shining Reverse card's face to Misty.

"I activate my spell, Shining Reverse. Due to this card's effect, I send all of the monsters that are required for a synchro summon to the graveyard, and tune." I started, sliding the card into an empty slot. I clutched my right hand to my chest, and closed my eyes, black rose petals swirling around me.

"Chilling flames engulf the entire Earth. Pitch dark flower set into bloom! Synchro summon! Be revived, Black Rose Dragon!" I called, Black Rose Dragon spreading her wings behind me. I closed my eyes, and something disturbed me. I turned toward the noise, and saw Yusei hanging from a ledge, Sayer standing over him. I put my hand to my mouth.

"Yusei!" I called. Sayer laughed, and put one of his feet on Yusei's hand, causing him to scream. I acted on instinct, my lips curling up into an evil smile, my bangs blowing in my eyes.

"Black Rose Dragon! Save Yusei! Go, Black Rose Gale!" I called, the wind blowing harder, sending Yusei flying to the ground. The rest of the duel went by in a blur. I don't remember the rest of it. I ran over to Yusei's side, and picked his head up into my lap.

"Yusei." I breathed. He opened his eyes slowly, and smiled up at me.

"Akiza." He whispered. His head dropped, resting on my abdomen, limp and heavy. I looked down at him, and parted his jacket slightly, red blood staining my fingers. I widened my eyes at the sight of a huge slice across his chest, his heart beating slowly, the muscle trying to give out. I shook him, putting my hand on his failing heart.

"I did this…I killed him…" I breathed sadly, tears falling. Instead of trying to protect him, I hurt him instead. Even to the very end, he waited for me to see him for the last time.

"This is…My…" I whispered, dropping my head, my bangs falling forward. I closed my eyes, and cried silently, tears falling on his open chest. I felt something cup my left cheek gently, and wipe my tears away.

"I waited for you…Not very long, but…" Yusei soothed. My eyes shot open, my irises wide. His once radiant blue eyes were a hideous dull blue. It pained me to look at them. All of the dancing fire that was in them, vibrant and determined, barely rose. _I killed him, he's dead._

"But…It's your…" I replied softly, and he smiled gently. I closed my eyes again.

"I'm a monster…" I dropped my head again, and his heartbeat slowed again, his time left leaving quickly.

"You know you are wrong, right?" He pointed out. My heart thumped once. _What?_

"You're wr-" I started. _Of course!_

"I can see the good in you. Why do you think I care about your safety above my own? I made you a promise. Even if my time to go came, I would wait for you, to come say your goodbyes." He explained. I smiled slightly.

"I felt so, strong, and beautiful, and alive whenever you were around me. You have a strength that I never will have. I was jealous of you. I wished I could live like you do, just listening to what my heart tells me. You taught me to not be afraid, and I will never forget that. But I let my powers get the best of me, and here you are, your time to die about to take you away from me. " I sobbed, and held his hand on my cheek, my tears falling on his heart. He let his face drop, and his eyes got took on a filmy glaze.

"I'm sorry…That I have to leave you like this…But…Take Stardust Dragon." He reached into his back pocket, and pulled the card out of it. I took it in my right hand, and pressed it to my heart.

"I won't ever lose this card. I promise you. Yusei." I vowed fiercely. His eyes started to close slowly, and his face started to get paler, death almost ending him.

"Now I know who you really are, Akiza." He started softly, looking at the ground. I laughed once.

"Even at your end, you would think about me? " I muttered bitterly. He pressed his palm into my cheek harder.

"You have a good heart. You will live on, and live a long happy life before joining me in this hell of eternal life. My soul will always be reborn, as will yours, and we will meet again, Black Rose." He smiled slightly. I cried again, more tears coming down.

"I'll be waiting, Stardust." I replied.

"…Yes…I will…Heal…The world…And create it…Anew…" His eyes closed completely, and his heart stopped. His bangs blew limply in the wind, and his hand fell from my cheek as I let go of it.

"So that's how it ends then. Yusei. You really are…" I started.

_I will not die, I'll wait here for you. I feel alive, when you're beside me. I will not die, I'll wait here for you. In my time of dying…_


End file.
